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A POWERFUL lobby group has called on the
government not to issue any more agro-forest licences to developers,
saying not a single one of them have resulted in a viable oil palm
development.
Papua New Guinea’s National Implementation Working Group (NIWG) of the
Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), in its recent meeting in
Port Moresby, expressed serious concerns about the so-called
‘agro-forestry’ project proposals that were currently being considered
by the Government and National Forest Authority.
PNG NIWG chairman Mike Manning said that large numbers of these projects
had been proposed over the years, but many have resulted in timber
extraction, and a few had even resulted in a few oil palms being
planted.
However, Mr Manning said not a single one had ever resulted in a viable
palm oil development.
He said PNG’s oil palm industry was now widely recognised as being a
world-leader in the implementation of sustainable development. In recent
years, very large commitments have been invested in making sure PNG
stands out as an example for others to follow.
“The market position and potential premiums that could lead from this
will be very important to PNG. However, the regular appearance of
dubious agro-forestry proposals, and the occasional logging operations
that result from these, projected a very bad image of the PNG oil palm
industry,” he said.
The PNG NIWG is made up of all PNG’s existing palm oil companies, the
Oil Palm Industry Corporation (OPIC), the PNG Oil Palm Research
Association (PNGOPRA), the Department of Environment and Conservation
(DEC), the Rural Industries Council (RIC) and some environmental
non-governmental organisations.
Mr Manning said there must be no new plantings of oil palm on areas of
primary forest, or areas with one or more high conservation values.
He said down-stream buyers and users of palm oil that were also
committed to RSPO would not buy from sources operating outside of the
RSPO guidelines.
This means that they will not buy from proposed agro-forestry projects
in PNG which use new cleared rainforest.
The PNG NIWG doubts that any of these proposed agro-forestry projects
will eventuate in oil palm development and urges the Government not to
allow them to go ahead without some binding guarantees, or a large bond
fee being paid.
 
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